County administration seeks temporary expansion of eligibility list to help federal workers facing reduction in force

County administration presented Council Bill 14-20-25, an emergency amendment to the county code (section 1.112) that would temporarily expand the number of candidates Human Resources can refer to hiring departments for classified vacancies from a current maximum of 10 to a maximum of 15 when the additional candidates are federal employees who are surplus/displaced as part of the 2025 federal reduction in force or federal contractors whose contracts were terminated or suspended.

Human Resources Administrator Angie Bennett told the council the change was intended as a temporary measure to help local hiring departments access a larger initial pool of qualified candidates without restarting recruitment cycles. "This expansion... provides them a fuller list," Bennett said, adding the amendment would sunset on June 30, 2026. Bennett emphasized that any candidate added under the amendment must still be among the next most highly qualified and meet vacancy requirements.

Council members questioned why the added five slots were limited to displaced federal employees rather than simply expanding the referral pool to the most qualified 15 candidates. Bennett explained that the current code permits referral of 3 to 10 candidates and expands only in limited cases (for candidates with disabilities); this amendment would create a temporary, targeted expansion in light of an exceptional federal workforce disruption.

Public commenters including Lisa Markovitz supported the measure as a way to help displaced federal workers reenter the local job market. Several councilmembers said they would like briefing materials and written clarification on distinctions between classified and executive-exempt hiring processes before final action.

Ending: CB14 was introduced at the hearing as temporary emergency legislation; staff and administration agreed to provide more detailed written materials to council members.